Method and apparatus for fluxing steel rings



Jan. 25, 1955 A. WAGNER ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLUXING STEEL RINGS Filed Aug. 1950 Parent Office 2,700,624 Patenta& Jan. 25; 1955" %7005624 METHOD'AND APPARATUSTFORFLUXING STEEL RINGS Lasing, Mich.,-asig ors to- Campbell, Wyant & Canno. Foufly Company; Muskeg'on, Michi, a corpora- O ur inventin' rlats to` npr'ove'nints in means for x an th i st el, m 21 Qf d VIM heating' steel Ih 'Whrch'are' intowhich castiron linings venting formatidnfoi ideswhichm fection of, the fused .b nd.

Another object of the i'iveiition' is to'insure that the flux will be 'prt'ey deposited ever' the entire inner periphery of the ring before it is heated to a point at which scale' formation'might take'` place" Our inveniton isspecifical'ly direte toward the preparation of rings' which, when' lined with; cast iron, will serve as brake' drum for amonrqhile s and the' like, but since the inventon'* is not' limited-to that, we' have not illustrated the particular use to which the rings are placed.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing which is a vertical section through the device of our invention.

1 is a furnace divided up into a preheating and vaporizing chamber 2 and into a heating chamber 3.. Tracks 4 extend downwardly from one end of the furnace to the other through the preheating and the heating chambers. The port 5 in the wall of the preheating chamber permits steel rings 6 to travel downwardly along the tracks 4 into the preheating chamber. The port 7 in the wall 8 between the preheating and heating chamber permits continuous movement of the rings downwardly. A port 9 in the wall of the heating chamber permits the rings to travel into the control chamber 10. 11 indicates diagrammatically the fuel nozzle through which gas or oil may be introduced into the heating chamber to raise the temperature of the rings to the desired point, preferably to a cherry red.

The port between the heating chamber and the preheating chamber, while it furnishes opportunity for the rings to travel down the incline track from one chamber to another, also permits the escape of suflicient heat from the heating chamber to the preheating chamber to vaporize the liquid carrier of any suitable fluxng material which may be deposited on the inner periphery of the ring by the nozzle 12. It will be noted that the rings have at each end inturned flanges 13 so that a measured supply of flux liquid may be deposited in each ring by the nozzle controlled by any suitable means not herein shown, or even by an operator ladlng the flux in as he deposits the ring on the track so that each ring as it enters the preheating chamber is supplied with a pre-measured quantity of flux in a liquid carrier.

In the control chamber at the down-stream side of the heating chamber is a paddle wheel 14 driven by any suitable means 15 for continuous movement. This paddle wheel has a plurality of blades which extend upwardly above the track and engage one of the drums to arrest its movement, the other drums piling up behind it tending to move by gravity along the track are limited in their downward movement as result of the limit applied to the lowermost drum by the paddle wheel. It will be understood that since the paddle wheel is continuously rotating, the drums are never brought fully to rest. Their movement is a gradual one, not necessarily constant in speed, but the result of this is that as the rings travel down into and through the preheating chamber the entire inner periphery of each ring is wetted by the fluxing liquid and as the drum travels downwardly in the preheating chamber, that fluxing liquid is gradually evaporated so that by the; receipt of a the time the dru'n; hasmade'its full` travel into theh'e'at ing chamber,- such evaporation will have contin ed to sueh a point that the entireinner' periphery of the` ring; will becoated' and since the ring never comes to: a full: stop but' is always' rotating such a` coatingjwill bejsubstantially uniforni throughout; Then, asthe-;ring passes" downinto'the heatingchamber, it' will be raised tored he at Without Scl frmation';

As' the paddle' r'o't'ates 'it releases one' ring after another and so'tlie` r'n'g finau'y 'released: never having cometo a; full' stop ran down the o gli; to' be bfought to rest by? the s't '12 17 a t th pon t wh ere the ring* is to be us'ed Thus, by th" arr gr' nt' shown; I` ai'n* able to: supply.: a' series'of rin o'ie at' a tiinin 'ch`wise`that each-ring is fluxfied' andhea'ted by'a continuosj movement through: the' fluxng and' heating Zones and each ring is only: brought ttjrest at thepoint at whichit is to be used'.

1 The method of preparing'anged metallic' rings for: molten' met ining* which consists: in the steps" of depostingitrea'h ring a measured uantity` o-f`l`i q-uid flur, co

ntinosly rotatir'r'g said; r'i n'g while causing it to travel', substantially immediately thereafteij, through' a prh ating, fiuxing vaporizing' chamber, heatin g sai-'d ring d ing its rota n and travel' through said vaporizing chamber" to alt' erat'ure suflici'ent o nly to:

flux', continuing the: rotaton rough' Said vaporizing chamber; er periphery" of said ring iS-` coated With g-erany-unrer m nysret solid flux material; then white continuing the rotaton of said ring, causing it to continue its travel into and through a heating chamber, heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said heating chamber to a temperature above the casting temperature, then releasing said ring from said heating chamber and causing it to move rapdly to a work zone and there arrestng its movement.

2. The method of preparing anged metallc rings for the receipt of a molten metal lining which consists in the steps of depositing in each ring a measured quantity of liquid flux, continuously rotating said ring while causing it to travel, substantially immediately thereafter, through a preheating, flux-vaporizing chamber, heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said vaporizing chamber to a temperature below casting temperature, continuing the rotaton and travel of said ring through said vaporizing chamber until the inner periphery of said ring is coated with a generally-uniform layer of solid flux material, then while continuing the rotaton of said ring, causing it to continue its travel into and through a heating chamber, heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said heating chamber to a temperature above the casting temperature, then releasing said ring from said heating chamber and causing it to move rapdly to a work zone and there arrestng its movement.

3. The method of preparing flanged metallic rings for the receipt of steps of depositing in each ring a measured quantity of liquid flux, continuously rotating said ring while causing it to travel, substantially immediately thereafter, through a preheating, flux-vaporizing zone, gradually heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said vaporizing zone to a temperature sufcient only to vaporize the liquid in said flux, continuing the rotaton and travel of said ring through said vaporizing zone until the inner periphery of said ring is coated with a generally-uniform layer of solid flux material, then while continuing the rotaton of said ring, causing it to continue its travel into and through a heating zone, gradually heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said heating zone to a temperature above the casting temperature, then releasing said ring from said heating zone and causing it to move rapdly to a work zone and there arrestng its movement.

4. The method of preparing flanged metallc rings for the receipt of a molten metal lining which consists in the steps of depositing in each ring a measured quantity of liquid flux, continuously rotating said ring while causing it to travel, substantially immediately thereafter, through a preheating, flux-vaporizing chamber, heating said ring during its rotaton and travel through said vaporizing a molten metal lining which consists in the 3 chamber to a temperature suflicient to vaporize the liquid in said flux but insufficient to cause flash vaporzation thereof, continuing therotation and travel of. said ring through said vaporizing chamber until the inner periphery of said ring is coated with a generally-unform layer of solid fiux material, then while continuing the rotation of said ring, causing it to continue its travel into and through a heating chamber, heating said ring during its rotation and travel through said heating chamber to a temperature above the casting temperature, then releasing said ring from said heating chamber and causing it to move rapidly to a work zone and there arresting its movement.

5. The method of preparing flanged metallic rings for the receipt of a molten metal lining which consists in the steps of depositing in each ring a measured quantty of liquid flux, continuously rotating said ring while causing it to travel, substantially immediately thereafter, through a preheatng, flux-vaporizing chamber, coordinating the period of travel of said ring through said vaporizing chamber with the temperature therein to vaporize gradually the liquid in said flux during said travel, continuing the rotation and travel of said ring through said vaporizing chamber until the inner periphery of said ring is coated with a generally-uniform layer of. solid flux material, then while continuing the rotation of said ring, causing it to continue its travel into and through a heating chamber, heating said ring during its rotation and travel through said heating chamber to a temperature above the casting temperature, then releasing said ring from said heating chamber and causing it to move rapidly to a work zone and there arresting its movement.

6. Means for fluxing and heating annular metal drums, including an inclined track along which the drums are free to travel by gravity, a furnace enclosing the track intermediate its nds, means at the upper end of the track for supplying to the inner periphery of each drum liquid flux, means at the lower end of the track for retarding but never preventing downward movement of a series of drums along a track, the drums engaging one another at their outer peripheries, said means being adapted to successively release one drum after another for free travel under gravity along a track, the furnace including a partition dividing said furnace into a vaporizing chamber adjacent the upper end of the track and a second chamber above the drum-retarding means along the track and means for heating the area within said vaporizing chamber to one temperature and the area within said second chamber to a higher temperature.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said vaporizing chamber is substantially larger in area than said second chamber.

8. The structure of claim 6 wherein said heating means includes a burning instrumentality in said second chamber and a port in said partition positioned to permit the upward flow of hot gases from said second chamber to said vaporizing chamber( 9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said port surrounds said track and is of sufiicient size to permit the passage therethrough of said drums as they travel from said vaporizing chamber to said second chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. THE METHOD OF PREPARING FLANGED METALLIC RINGS FOR THE RECEIPT OF A MOLTEN METAL LINING WHICH CONSISTS IN THE STEPS OF DEPOSITING IN EACH RING A MEASURED QUANTITY OF LIQUID FLUX, CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING SAID RING WHILE CAUSING IT TO TRAVEL, SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THROUGH A PREHEATING FLUXING-VAPORIZING CHAMBER, HEATING SAID RING DURING ITS ROTATION AND TRAVEL THROUGH SAID VAPORIZING CHAMBER TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT ONLY TO VAPORIZE THE LIQUID IN SAID FLUIX, CONTINUING THE ROTATION AND TRAVEL OF SAID RING THROUGH SAID VAPORIZING CHAMBER UNTIL THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID RING IS COATED WITH A GENERALLY-UNIFORM LAYER OF SOLID FLUX MATERIAL, THEN WHILE CONTINUING THE ROTATION OF SAID RING, CAUSING IT TO CONTINUE ITS TRAVEL INTO AND THROUGH A HEATING CHAMBER, HEATING SAID RING DURING ITS ROTATION AND TRAVEL THROUGH SAID HEATING CHAMBER TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE CASTING TEMPERATURE, THEN RELEASING SAID RING FROM SAID HEATING CHAMBER AND CAUSING IT TO MOVE RAPIDLY TO A WORK ZONE AND THERE ARRESTING ITS MOVEMENT. 